Several applications are known in which connections need to be provided underwater, such as electrical connections and/or optical connections. Examples include a subsea installation for the production of hydrocarbons from a subsea well, in which different components of the subsea installation may need to be connected for power transfer and/or data communication. Such connections may for example comprise a connection from a topside installation, such as a floating or fixed platform, or from an onshore site, to a subsea component, for example by means of an umbilical or a subsea cable. Other connections include electrical connections between different type of subsea equipment, such as a connection between a subsea transformer and subsea switchgear, a data connection between different control modules or between a hub and a satellite well. In some configurations, a data connection may need to be provided over increased distances, for example between two subsea wells that are more than 1 km apart, for which purpose an optical data connection is particularly beneficial, in particular when making use of an Ethernet data connection.
For providing an underwater connection, wet-mateable connectors are known which can be mated underwater. Although such type of connectors are generally more complex than corresponding dry-mate connectors, which have to be mated above the water surface, wet-mateable connectors have several advantages. Components of the subsea installation can for example be disconnected and can be retrieved for servicing or exchange, additional components may be connected to an existing subsea installation, connections can be provided to a subsea structure after installation thereof at the ocean floor, and the like. When establishing a connection subsea, a first connector part, for example a plug part, is engaged with a second connector part, for example a receptacle part. Due to the large water depth, this is generally done by making use of a remotely operated vehicle (ROV), which holds one connector part and engages it with the other connector part.
As an example, the document U.S. Pat. No. 6,929,404 B2 discloses a subsea wet-mateable fiber optical connector including a first connector part and a second connector part. A pin including an optical contact of the first connector part enters the second connector part in which the optical contact is deployed and engages a corresponding optical contact of the second connector part.
Furthermore, top-side optical connectors are known and used in dry environments which include plastic housings that are connected by hand by the operator. Such plastic housing may for example include a latching mechanism to maintain the contact between the two optical fibers.
While manual alignment of such top-side connectors can be done with high precision, alignment of the optical contacts of a subsea wet-mateable connector is generally difficult, since mating occurs via the remotely operated vehicle (ROV). Manufacturing tolerances of the different parts of such subsea connector can potentially lead to a misalignment of the optical contacts, which can result in a poor signal quality or a complete signal failure after mating. Furthermore, the end faces of such optical contacts are generally rather sensitive due to the fragility of optical fibers and the large forces that may be exerted on the relatively small area between the optical fibers. Since such subsea connectors are mated by an ROV, there is generally only relatively limited control over the contact forces of such optical fibers, which can result in a fiber end face damage.
Accordingly, it is desirable to improve the reliability of the mating of such subsea connectors, and in particular to ensure that a connection can be established that does not suffer from poor signal quality or complete signal failure. Furthermore, damage to a fiber end face during the mating should be avoided. It is desirable that a reliable connection between optical contacts can be established even when manufacturing tolerances or mating by an ROV can result in a misalignment of the optical contacts of respective connector parts.